In the Name of Empress-Chapter 406 - 286: Everyone Must Die! (Part 2)

At the moment of being taken away by the soldiers, Steven knew his opportunity had come.

This was the only chance.

He also knew he couldn’t fight his way out alone, so from the very beginning, he had his eyes on Count Sif.

More accurately, it was the Empress pretending to be the Count.

The Empress loved to disguise as the Count and sneak out with Roland, which was no secret at all.

He was well aware of this.

But what he didn’t know was that the Empress also knew he knew, and had set a trap based on that premise.

Steven snatched the longsword from a soldier and, like a windmill, slashed down several soldiers in quick succession, charging towards Sif.

He didn’t want to kill Sif, only to take her hostage to gain an opportunity to escape.

Taking the Empress hostage and killing the Empress were both acts of rebellion, but the former at least offered some room for maneuver.

Steven didn’t feel he would lose.

As compensation for his relatively low intelligence, he possessed extraordinary martial prowess.

He was neither a Transcendent nor a Mage, but belonged to the Berserker branch.

He suddenly went berserk, catching the soldiers off guard, leaving them powerless.

Two more soldiers who came to intercept him were instantly cut down by his sword.

With each person he felled, his eyes turned even redder, like those of a demon.

Sif was also startled by the Minister of the Army’s madness.

"Retreat!"

She sharply ordered the soldiers to withdraw first.

It was evident that Steven was a Berserker, able to continuously increase his power by slaying enemies.

The soldiers present were merely his blood bags.

Leaving the soldiers there would only increase casualties pointlessly.

Roland understood and used the Holy Light Shield to cover the soldiers’ retreat.

Without needing Sif’s reminder, these men were already scared out of their wits.

They were loyal and brave soldiers, but they were also ordinary people. The butcher-like horror of Steven exceeded their imagination.

Much like in previous coups, Duke Ricken’s banquet hall had also turned into a slaughterhouse.

Seeing Steven charge at Sif, Roland was in no hurry to protect her, instead turning back to clean up the battlefield first.

He exchanged a glance with Raikkonen, who nodded silently, understanding his meaning.

Steven’s rampage was indeed unexpected, but it was also a perfect opportunity.

The Cabinet Ministers on the death list were all gravely guilty; they needed to pay the price, but not everyone needed to stand trial.

Apart from a few like Sim and Winston, the others needed to be dealt with quickly.

Especially the various social figures invited to the banquet.

These people participated in the rebel gathering brazenly, which was naturally a capital offense.

But most of them had no concrete evidence against them, making it very difficult to convict them through legal means.

But now, these people finally had a reasonable cause of death.

The vicious Minister of the Army resisted desperately, indiscriminately killing most of the guests present.

After arranging matters outside, Roland returned to the reception hall, watching Sif and Steven fight.

It’s not that he didn’t want to help, but Sif had clearly signaled that she didn’t need his assistance.

She wanted to use Steven as a grindstone, a whetstone to test her strength before challenging Sofia.

Roland was also keen to know Sif’s true strength now, so he didn’t intervene.

Of course, if Sif were in real danger, he would definitely step in without hesitation.

The long spear in Sif’s hand trembled continuously, with the point shifting positions through intense vibrations, like a snake raising its head.

Steven couldn’t determine the spear tip’s position.

But he wasn’t panicked at all, he even initiated a bloodletting self-destruct mode.

The more hurt he was, the stronger his attacks became.

Simultaneously, he temporarily sacrificed his intelligence to gain overwhelming explosive power,

and Steven, who was originally not skilled in combat techniques, couldn’t understand Sif’s spear techniques.

Not only did he not understand, but Roland didn’t understand either.

Though he didn’t understand, Roland still secretly cheered for Sif.

Who could predict such an unpredictable spear technique?

The spear tip rubbed against the air, producing a sharp popping sound, making it even more unpredictable.

Steven instantly judged that capturing Sif alive was impossible; he was doomed.

Of course, he wasn’t resigned to this.

He considered himself loyal to the old Emperor, believing he had done no significant wrong.

Greedy for power, seeking personal gain? He had indeed done it, but others had done so too, so had the new favorites under Sif, why spare them and not him?

He was unwilling, the new Emperor who abandoned the old must pay the price.

Steven let out a shrill inhuman scream, a strange layer of cuticle suddenly covered his broad back, and two bluish-purple marks appeared on his forehead.

Sif’s face slightly changed, and without hesitation, she thrust her spear into his heart.

"Pff!"

Blood splattered, his heart pierced.

Sif sighed in relief.

Though it looked terrifying, Steven was ultimately a mere mortal, and a pierced heart was fatal.

"Watch out!"

Roland, enveloped in golden light, leaped up towards Steven.

Though a burst heart meant certain death, Steven’s vital signs hadn’t disappeared; they even grew stronger for a moment.

Evidently, Steven had left a backup plan. Indeed, the former greatest warrior in Sussex lived up to his reputation.

"Die, you all must die!"

Steven roared in a feigned madness, and the candles in the hall all extinguished, bringing darkness.

A giant shadow appeared behind him, coordinating with his offensive, wielding a scythe towards Sif.

A scythe is not particularly convenient as a long-handled weapon for ordinary people, but a super-strong expert skilled in its use could handle it effortlessly.

Sif’s heart pounded fiercely, momentarily stunned.

Her short life flashed by like a carousel.

The love from her parents in childhood, the comfort of her noble status, the joy of being declared the 35th Emperor of the Empire, and most importantly, Roland’s appearance.

Her memories flickered, finally freezing on the moment of a secret kiss with Roland at the ball.

Her mind was blank, but her hands hadn’t given up, acting instinctively.

No, her life shouldn’t end like this.

She still had many things unfinished, like wearing a beautiful wedding dress and becoming the most beautiful bride in the world.

In this life or death instant, she finally crossed the most crucial transformation for a warrior.

Body instinct.

Truly powerful warriors, after numerous battles teetering on the edge of life and death, often have their bodies reacting instinctively prior to their minds.

Sif, with pure bloodline, powerful strength, and exquisite combat technique, had not encountered many moments of life or death.

This was her closest moment to death, forcing her body to break limitations and react instinctively.

Combat instinct!

A hallmark of the Elf Imperial Family.

The Elf Imperial Family are naturally extraordinary warriors, top-class even without training.

All memories condensed into a point, and Sif’s thoughts returned to reality.

Just when Sif was ready to give her all to counterattack, Roland’s Divine Protection had already descended.

Even if Sif couldn’t withstand Steven’s lethal attack, there was still Divine Protection as a safety net.

At the moment her hands reacted, Sif’s consciousness instantly cleared, seeing through various flaws on Steven’s body.

Unlike humans, his weaknesses were deeply hidden.

Sif didn’t hasten to act but first summoned the Ancient Tree’s shadow.

One, two, three, four!

Sif’s spear was highly precise, simultaneously striking four of Steven’s weaknesses.

Break!

The spear transformed into lightning, illuminating the dark night sky, simultaneously piercing four weaknesses.

Steven’s massive frame abruptly halted, his muscular arm stretched out, stopped barely less than twenty centimeters from Sif’s throat.

But he could no longer advance.

With the breaking of his four weaknesses, his life force ended completely.

Steven stood there, glaring angrily, like a War God, yet now just a corpse.

Sif withdrew her spear, gently shaking it, splitting it into three segments, which flew back into the spear case.

As she retrieved her spear, the world Ancient Tree’s shadow appeared behind Sif.

Amidst the forest shadow, the Elf Princess emerged.

The Elf Imperial Family generally shared similar appearances, and to most people, the Elf Maiden appearing in the shadow looked remarkably similar to Sif.

If this were a concert, the audience would surely applaud Sif’s spectacular performance.

But it was a battlefield, and there was still plenty of aftermath to handle.

After dealing with Steven, Sif couldn’t help glancing at Roland, her eyes clear.

"Praise me, hurry and praise me!"

Facing this reasonable request, Roland certainly wouldn’t decline.

"Congratulations, you’ve finally reclaimed your own memory."